Craig Valley Railroad bed committee set for Rails to Trails

Editorial Update:
May 8, 2023

Regarding the article below, the item in the paragraph that is in quotes initially came from the Virginia Legislative website immediately after the budget for 2022 was put in place. In August 2022, that information was removed from the Virginia Legislative website.

The language in the article does appear in the 2001 initial plan for the Craig Valley Scenic Trail. This can also be accessed at https://budget.lis.virginia.gov/amendment/2001/1/SB800/Introduced/CA/410/6s/

As it stands right now, there is no funding in either this year’s budget or the upcoming Botetourt County budget for the Craig Valley Scenic Trail.

As best The Bee can tell, at the moment, there was $12.5 million in the 2022 budget for this project, and it is under review by VDOT. Whether or not there will be funding for this project in the 2023 state budget remains to be seen, since the state as of this date has not yet passed its budget.

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 The Botetourt County Board of Supervisors created the Craig Valley Railroad Bed Committee at its July 26, 2022 meeting at Greenfield.

Ed McCoy and John Williamson, both of Buchanan, were appointed to the committee.

The committee stems from a statement in the most recent state budget, which says, “Before the Department commits staff and moneys to develop a Rails to Trails project from Eagle Rock in Botetourt County to New Castle in Craig County, the Boards of Supervisors from Botetourt and Craig Counties shall formally agree to match the Commonwealth’s expenditures on a dollar-for-dollar basis.”

Virginia Department of Transportation Spokesman Jason Bond said a draft assessment of a proposal to create a rails-to-trails project along the abandoned railroad line from New Castle to Eagle Rock is ongoing.

“If the project were to advance, Craig and Botetourt Counties have would to decide what to pursue,” Bond said. “They would have to decide what they want and they’re still figuring out what the project is going to look like.”

The property is owned by VDOT. Some of it is in the secondary road system and used as gravel lane, Bond said. (According to 2001 Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission Report, approximately 11 miles of the railroad property is now in the secondary road system.)

About $12.5 million is stuck in the state budget for this project, provided the previous conditions are met.

Botetourt and Craig County attempted to create a similar trail in the early 2000s. Property owners adjacent to the abandoned railroad bed were adamantly against it, and the project failed. The proposal at that time was called the Craig Valley Scenic Trail and would have encompassed a 26-mile route between Botetourt and Craig Counties.

However, the idea of using this abandoned C&O railroad bed for public functions has been in play since at least 1973, though nothing has ever come of discussion despite efforts from the governments of Botetourt and Craig as well as representatives from the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The current interest in the project would depend on funding and efforts from both Botetourt and Craig Counties.

                                                                           — Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee